Returnal encourages players to explore their environment completely, as it becomes clear very early on that they will need all the help they can get to survive and hopefully break the cycle. Yet at the same time, there are several times at the beginning of the game that players will find items they have no way of accessing. Sometimes these are hidden behind red vines, other times they may be up high on a ledge that there's no way to get to, and occasionally they are even found underwater. In all of these cases, players need to unlock a specific Xenotech Device in order to access the area.
In Returnal, most of the things a player gets on a run are lost when they die, but this isn't true of everything. Certain upgrades to Selene's suit remain even after a new cycle begins, and these Xenotech Devices are often vital to continuing in the story. For the aforementioned red vines, players will need the Atropian Blade, and high ledges can be reached with the Icarian Grapnel. There's also an item to help players get underwater items.
In order to go underwater and pick up items, players need the Hadal Ballasts Xenotech Device. This is a permanent upgrade that players will obtain at the very end of the fifth biome in Returnal, the Fractured Wastes. Not long after players arrive in this area, they will find the Hadal Vault and then be instructed to find three Hadal Keys. Clear out all three of the paths branching off of this area to get the three keys and open the vault.
Inside, players will be surprised to find that there's no boss fight. Instead, they will find the Hadal Ballasts, items that let them dive deep underwater. For the sake of being thorough, do not jump into water in Returnal without the Hadal Ballasts, but players that are reading this have likely already figured that out for themselves. These items are required to continue on in the story and to reach the final biome of the game, the Abyssal Scar. Before continuing on, be sure to use an Atropian Key to open the locked side path, as players can get the Promethean Insulators there.
Aside from enabling story progression, players that return to previous biomes like the Overgrown Ruins will now be able to grab those nifty healing items underwater. This is incredibly helpful when players are going back through the game to try and find all six Sunface Fragments and unlock the secret ending of Returnal.
Returnal is available now on PS5.
